Coach Sam Mitchell's direction for the club and 2024 news

[Strapping Young Lad]

If anyone wants to have a listen about what the data is saying in regards to whether we have actually gotten worse this year have a listen to this from the 9:15 mark.

I know a few people have already touched on it, but the data is also showing that our results this year have been slightly better despite actually putting out a younger team and dealing with some injuries.




And here.

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

Never mind this "one week at a time" stuff - The Golden Glenferrie here just taking it one decade at a time....

We're built for this stuff

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Those sad handful of folk who were so rusted on to the old regime - surely you have to see the light now. Sitting through some of the soul-destroying directionless, soulless and tediously uninspired defensive drivel from 2017-2021 with midfields that just let teams continually waltz through and get inside 50s at will. Forward lines that hadn’t a hope in hell with a midfield that would just bomb it in at will with no thought or structure. If somebody was new to the sport and you told them a 4 time premiership coach was in charge they’d think you were lying to them.

The breath of fresh air in terms of structure, recruiting, man management and game style has honestly revolutionised the club. We were on a slow march to nowhere for half a decade and in 3 short years there’s an entirely new blueprint on the club that had been turned into a one man dictatorship.

This isn’t solely the doing of Sam - but the on field results are absolutely his to take credit for primarily. I know there were multiple parties agitating for regime change in 2021 and no one person can take credit for it - but those who made the gutsy calls deserve the adulation. That includes Kennett, the board and the playing group.

This demonstrates that Hawthorn can never be about one person - we have a team of people determined to bring this club back to the top where it belongs - and boy it’s been a fun ride.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

 

[KermitJagger]

Has to be Sam. I hate that I'm saying this but the only genuine contender is Chris Scott, because when I look at that list I'm baffled that it sits in the top 4 at the end of this season.

 

[Walshawk]

One of the great AFL anomalies is that the AA team is H & A only, but the coach is automatically the premiership coach. Makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[TassieGrown]

Those sad handful of folk who were so rusted on to the old regime - surely you have to see the light now. Sitting through some of the soul-destroying directionless, soulless and tediously uninspired defensive drivel from 2017-2021 with midfields that just let teams continually waltz through and get inside 50s at will. Forward lines that hadn’t a hope in hell with a midfield that would just bomb it in at will with no thought or structure. If somebody was new to the sport and you told them a 4 time premiership coach was in charge they’d think you were lying to them.

The breath of fresh air in terms of structure, recruiting, man management and game style has honestly revolutionised the club. We were on a slow march to nowhere for half a decade and in 3 short years there’s an entirely new blueprint on the club that had been turned into a one man dictatorship.

This isn’t solely the doing of Sam - but the on field results are absolutely his to take credit for primarily. I know there were multiple parties agitating for regime change in 2021 and no one person can take credit for it - but those who made the gutsy calls deserve the adulation. That includes Kennett, the board and the playing group.

This demonstrates that Hawthorn can never be about one person - we have a team of people determined to bring this club back to the top where it belongs - and boy it’s been a fun ride.

Well put, certainly don’t miss the days of kicking it to Max Gawn over and over again. Watching the game live yesterday Norf lacked any resemblance of a game plan or structure, which must reflect on the coaching group.

Love Clarko but he had ran his race with us, Hawthorn have never been scared to make the tough decisions, it will hopefully be proven that bringing in Mitch was a master stroke.

 

[Gaborone]

Those sad handful of folk who were so rusted on to the old regime - surely you have to see the light now. Sitting through some of the soul-destroying directionless, soulless and tediously uninspired defensive drivel from 2017-2021 with midfields that just let teams continually waltz through and get inside 50s at will. Forward lines that hadn’t a hope in hell with a midfield that would just bomb it in at will with no thought or structure. If somebody was new to the sport and you told them a 4 time premiership coach was in charge they’d think you were lying to them.

The breath of fresh air in terms of structure, recruiting, man management and game style has honestly revolutionised the club. We were on a slow march to nowhere for half a decade and in 3 short years there’s an entirely new blueprint on the club that had been turned into a one man dictatorship.

This isn’t solely the doing of Sam - but the on field results are absolutely his to take credit for primarily. I know there were multiple parties agitating for regime change in 2021 and no one person can take credit for it - but those who made the gutsy calls deserve the adulation. That includes Kennett, the board and the playing group.

This demonstrates that Hawthorn can never be about one person - we have a team of people determined to bring this club back to the top where it belongs - and boy it’s been a fun ride.

I am one of those Hawthorn supporters who you would have called 'sad'. But you are wrong. I was not rusted on to the old regime, just sick of the lack of respect shown Alistair Clarkson. I am still sick of the lack of respect for a Hawthorn great. Four premierships and our most successful coach of all time. I hope Sam eclipses Alistair, but I am not going to trash Alistair's achievements or his huge contribution to the Hawthorn tradition which has been a significant part of 70+ years.

 

[The Jet From Poowong]

I am one of those Hawthorn supporters who you would have called 'sad'. But you are wrong. I was not rusted on to the old regime, just sick of the lack of respect shown Alistair Clarkson. I am still sick of the lack of respect for a Hawthorn great. Four premierships and our most successful coach of all time. I hope Sam eclipses Alistair, but I am not going to trash Alistair's achievements or his huge contribution to the Hawthorn tradition which has been a significant part of 70+ years.

In all due respect, he did shit on his own legacy in the end.
Nothing is ever going to change the successful period he was part of, but no one is going to stand for his continual ego-driven jibes and petulant behaviour.

We follow the Hawthorn Football Club, not individuals. In the end, he forgot this very important point.

 

[Gaborone]

In all due respect, he did shit on his own legacy in the end.
Nothing is ever going to change the successful period he was part of, but no one is going to stand for his continual ego-driven jibes and petulant behaviour.

We follow the Hawthorn Football Club, not individuals. In the end, he forgot this very important point.

I usually agree with you but the man is the man, that's the personality which led us to four premierships. You can't have it both ways.

 

[Brant]

I am one of those Hawthorn supporters who you would have called 'sad'. But you are wrong. I was not rusted on to the old regime, just sick of the lack of respect shown Alistair Clarkson. I am still sick of the lack of respect for a Hawthorn great. Four premierships and our most successful coach of all time. I hope Sam eclipses Alistair, but I am not going to trash Alistair's achievements or his huge contribution to the Hawthorn tradition which has been a significant part of 70+ years.

Is anyone really failing to appreciate his achievements, though? If so, they should feel bad.

I've not seen anyone fail to acknowledge his innovation, leadership & brilliance in building, pivoting & maintaining one of the greatest sides in footy history.

All I've seen is posters glad to see his autocratic, uncompromising & completely ineffective performance in coaching, player development* & list management (2017-onward) come to an end.

I don't love him or his achievements any less but I'm glad that we finally replaced him when we did.


*wasn't a total failure of late but I wouldn't have it high on his CV.

 

[KermitJagger]

I usually agree with you but the man is the man, that's the personality which led us to four premierships. You can't have it both ways.

You can absolutely have it both ways. I can enjoy Rosemary's Baby without needing to show eternal undying affection for Roman Polanski.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

I am one of those Hawthorn supporters who you would have called 'sad'. But you are wrong. I was not rusted on to the old regime, just sick of the lack of respect shown Alistair Clarkson. I am still sick of the lack of respect for a Hawthorn great. Four premierships and our most successful coach of all time. I hope Sam eclipses Alistair, but I am not going to trash Alistair's achievements or his huge contribution to the Hawthorn tradition which has been a significant part of 70+ years.

Why is nuance beyond you? You’re allowed to be happy what someone delivered over one period and then be disappointed that they steered your club into the ditch because they became consumed by power and their own sense of self.

 

[Manila_Hawk]

Why is nuance beyond you? You’re allowed to be happy what someone delivered over one period and then be disappointed that they steered your club into the ditch because they became consumed by power and their own sense of self.

Perfectly put Ned. That's exactly how it panned out.

 

[The hands of stone]

Clarko delivered us 4 flags . His 2008 coaching performance in the GF is arguable the greatest ever ( some will argue Barrasi 1970 )
Setting us for the 3 peat was also his genuis .

Like all coaches in sport , professional or otherwise the game has gone past him . Happens to the all time greats if they are around long enough
It's more complex than that but that's a simple rundown.

I actually think he can benefit North - they are just getting the latter version of him .

Glad we made the move- even if it was messy at the time

 

[MasterSamurai]

Would of loved for clarko to hand the keys to Sam for a smooth handover and he went on to become a part of the football department that makes " off-field" decisions and stayed there for over a decade instead of his GOD-COMPLEX!!

 

[flinchfree]

I am one of those Hawthorn supporters who you would have called 'sad'. But you are wrong. I was not rusted on to the old regime, just sick of the lack of respect shown Alistair Clarkson. I am still sick of the lack of respect for a Hawthorn great. Four premierships and our most successful coach of all time. I hope Sam eclipses Alistair, but I am not going to trash Alistair's achievements or his huge contribution to the Hawthorn tradition which has been a significant part of 70+ years.

Edit: Please refer to the front page of our forum.

 

[Simon Crawshay]

Those sad handful of folk who were so rusted on to the old regime - surely you have to see the light now. Sitting through some of the soul-destroying directionless, soulless and tediously uninspired defensive drivel from 2017-2021 with midfields that just let teams continually waltz through and get inside 50s at will. Forward lines that hadn’t a hope in hell with a midfield that would just bomb it in at will with no thought or structure. If somebody was new to the sport and you told them a 4 time premiership coach was in charge they’d think you were lying to them.

The breath of fresh air in terms of structure, recruiting, man management and game style has honestly revolutionised the club. We were on a slow march to nowhere for half a decade and in 3 short years there’s an entirely new blueprint on the club that had been turned into a one man dictatorship.

This isn’t solely the doing of Sam - but the on field results are absolutely his to take credit for primarily. I know there were multiple parties agitating for regime change in 2021 and no one person can take credit for it - but those who made the gutsy calls deserve the adulation. That includes Kennett, the board and the playing group.

This demonstrates that Hawthorn can never be about one person - we have a team of people determined to bring this club back to the top where it belongs - and boy it’s been a fun ride.

Those 2107-2021 years really were pretty rough in hindsight.

It's one thing for a club to be genuinely bad, at least they are starting from the bottom and can formulate a plan to improve.

But we were playing like a long term civil servant who had a couple of years left before getting their government superannuation.

Wed do just enough to not be fired/bottom out but not try anything new or take even the slightest of risks to jeopardize our retirement /risk of getting badly beaten.

I used to post how depressing it must have been playing under that gameplan, just mind numingly boring stuff really for players and fans alike.

And yet when he first came to the Hawks he was a master innovator, funny how quickly footy can overtake a coach.

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

And yet when he first came to the Hawks he was a master innovator, funny how quickly footy can overtake a coach.

This is what will be interesting with Mitchell. How he deals with change and can he realise when it's time to pull the pin on a group and rebuild.

 

[Simon Crawshay]

This is what will be interesting with Mitchell. How he deals with change and can he realise when it's time to pull the pin on a group and rebuild.

True but that's a long way off at the moment. This group very much has a 2006/2007 feel about it.

In some ways I feel a bit sorry for Clarko, having the title of "Master Coach" puts a lot of pressure on you to never bottom out / have a bad year which is probably why he went so defensive in that 2017-2021 period.

Sam on the other hand has had pretty much free reign to implement his playing style / team selection much as Clarkson had when he first came to the club.

 

[The hands of stone]

Those 2107-2021 years really were pretty rough in hindsight.

It's one thing for a club to be genuinely bad, at least they are starting from the bottom and can formulate a plan to improve.

But we were playing like a long term civil servant who had a couple of years left before getting their government superannuation.

Wed do just enough to not be fired/bottom out but not try anything new or take even the slightest of risks to jeopardize our retirement /risk of getting badly beaten.

I used to post how depressing it must have been playing under that gameplan, just mind numingly boring stuff really for players and fans alike.

And yet when he first came to the Hawks he was a master innovator, funny how quickly footy can overtake a coach.

As he progressed he became more a system/structure coach . Most are but he certainly became more to the extreme end of the scale .
If you have stars in the system it's great as you still get the dynamic flair and skill . The system hopefully covers weaker elements in the team.

If you lose that you become more what we became . You get the odd 'masterclass' performance mixed in with a robotic style of play .

In the NFL Bellicheck is a good example . Lost Brady and the system that had worked so well , wasn't as effective.

 

[hfc70]

Yeh, the problem is you were an ever present back stabbing little gob who spent the better part of a couple months and endless threads TRASHING Sam Mitchell, calling him every horrible thing you can imagine.

You were an absolutely filthy poster during that time, making up stories that you'd heard about Sam, trying to find any way possible to trash his reputation.
None of it was Clarko's fault according to you, you just endlessly besmirched the good name of our Club and it's leaders to prop your false hero up.

I wish you'd never come back after your petulant and outlandish posting during that period.
It was ever so clear you weren't a real Hawthorn supporter, but just another cult of personality fan.

Oh, and Alsmypal, you are present in my mind just as dearly as I wrote this diatribe.....

Love a Sunday Roast

 

[stevehawkington]

Would of loved for clarko to hand the keys to Sam for a smooth handover and he went on to become a part of the football department that makes " off-field" decisions and stayed there for over a decade instead of his GOD-COMPLEX!!

it's what you get with a coach that will win you 3 in a row and one earlier due to his strat

what's good about mitchell is he has believed in what can be, unburdened by what has been

 

[Billyc]

As he progressed he became more a system/structure coach . Most are but he certainly became more to the extreme end of the scale .
If you have stars in the system it's great as you still get the dynamic flair and skill . The system hopefully covers weaker elements in the team.

If you lose that you become more what we became . You get the odd 'masterclass' performance mixed in with a robotic style of play .

In the NFL Bellicheck is a good example . Lost Brady and the system that had worked so well , wasn't as effective.

He convinced himself, in his arrogance, that it was all his system and not the talent.

He was a brilliant coach who got the absolute best out of generational talent and was an innovator whose system was the best in the business. Without him we wouldn’t have won 4 flags.

But we wouldn’t have won them without the generational talent either. It was the combination but Clarkson convinced himself that it was all him and his system. So he shipped off the senior leaders who were the talent that drove the success and thought he could replicate the success with an inferior second tier from those premiership sides and some top ups in Mitchell, O’Meara and Wingard.

The club backed him in that and he was wrong but he couldn’t pivot after that became apparent.

 

[Nick the Pig]

He convinced himself, in his arrogance, that it was all his system and not the talent.

He was a brilliant coach who got the absolute best out of generational talent and was an innovator whose system was the best in the business. Without him we wouldn’t have won 4 flags.

But we wouldn’t have won them without the generational talent either. It was the combination but Clarkson convinced himself that it was all him and his system. So he shipped off the senior leaders who were the talent that drove the success and thought he could replicate the success with an inferior second tier from those premiership sides and some top ups in Mitchell, O’Meara and Wingard.

The club backed him in that and he was wrong but he couldn’t pivot after that became apparent.

I agree with this. You felt Clarko would bring in guys and force them into his rigid structure. It undeniably worked for a long period with the players he had.

You feel Sam rather highlights individual players strengths and allows this to flourish, rather than forcing them into a rigid mindset which may instead mean their weaknesses hold them back. Sam's system allows for this. Examples are Nash and the way he plays Massimo.

It's the difference between looking for elite traits and harnessing them, rather than bringing in another soldier to the system.

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

I agree with this. You felt Clarko would bring in guys and force them into his rigid structure. It undeniably worked for a long period with the players he had.

You feel Sam rather highlights individual players strengths and allows this to flourish, rather than forcing them into a rigid mindset which may instead mean their weaknesses hold them back. Sam's system allows for this. Examples are Nash and the way he plays Massimo.

It's the difference between looking for elite traits and harnessing them, rather than bringing in another soldier to the system.

And it evolves heaps better with time. You can keep adding individuals to be their best. They can be themselves.

Clarko's system eventually falls apart when the soldiers are all dead on the battlefield.

I choose to believe Mitchell will have more success for longer, added with the fact he's a lifelong learner who will no doubt move with the times better